Complete Dentures and Partial Dentures: What’s the Difference?

Your dentist may suggest dentures when you are missing teeth.There are two main types of dentures available: complete or partial. As their names suggest, complete dentures are appropriate when all teeth are gone and partial dentures when some real teeth are still in the mouth.

Complete dentures
There are two kinds of complete dentures that your dentist may offer. Conventional dentures are ready to be placed up to twelve weeks after your teeth have been removed and the gums have begun healing. You will be without teeth during that time until the conventional dentures are ready. Immediate dentures are prepared prior to the teeth being removed so that they can be worn as soon as teeth are gone. Because gums and bones may change during the healing period, immediate dentures require more adjustments to ensure proper fit throughout the process. Some dentists consider immediate dentures as a temporary restoration until conventional dentures are ready.

Partial dentures
Typically consisting of artificial teeth attached to a pink-colored plastic base and sometimes connected with a metal framework, partial dentures are used when one or more real teeth are still in position. These can be used as a partial tooth replacement solution for either the upper or lower jaw. If the restoration is cemented into position, it’s called a fixed bridge. This option may be used to replace one or more missing teeth by implementing crowns on the teeth adjacent to the space and attaching artificial teeth. Since partial dentures fill in spaces left by missing teeth, one of the benefits is that your remaining teeth don’t move out of place.

Wearing dentures
You might feel awkward at first, whether you’re wearing complete or partial dentures. It takes a few weeks to adjust to eating and speaking. If any gum tenderness doesn’t resolve quickly or becomes severe, contact your dentist. It is normal for your complete or partial dentures to need to be relined or remade as time progresses, or sometimes only the base needs to be remade. Regular dental checkups are important to maintain high-quality dentures and good oral health.